Kehlsteinhaus
The Kehlsteinhaus (known in English as the Eagle's Nest) is a Nazi-constructed building erected atop the summit of the Kehlstein, a rocky outcrop that rises above Obersalzberg near the southeast German town of Berchtesgaden. It was used exclusively by members of the Nazi Party for government and social meetings. It was visited on 14 documented instances by Adolf Hitler.[1][2] Today, it is open seasonally as a restaurant, beer garden, and tourist site.
Not to be confused with Berghof (residence).Eagle's Nest
Completed
1,834 m (6,017 ft)
1938
20 April 1939
Allied capture[edit]
The Kehlsteinhaus was a target for the 25 April 1945 bombing of Obersalzberg. This was a Royal Air Force bombing raid conducted by No. 1, No. 5, and No. 8 Group and No. 617 Squadron.[11] The small house proved an elusive target for the force of 359 Avro Lancasters and 16 de Havilland Mosquitoes, which bombed and severely damaged the Berghof area instead.
It is uncertain which Allied military unit was the first to reach the Kehlsteinhaus. The matter is compounded by popular confusion of it being taken on 4 May by forward elements of the 2e Division Blindée (specifically "La Nueve", a company composed of Spanish Republicans), with the town of Berchtesgaden, taken by elements of the U.S. 7th Infantry Regiment.[12][13][a]
Reputedly, members of the 7th went as far as the elevator to the Kehlsteinhaus,[12] with at least one person claiming that he and a partner continued on to the top.[16] In a Library of Congress interview and more recent interviews, Herman Louis Finnell of the 3rd Infantry Division said that his regiment entered the Berghof, not the Kehlsteinhaus.[17] However, the 101st Airborne claims it was first both to Berchtesgaden and the Kehlsteinhaus.[18]
Meanwhile, troops of the 2e Division Blindée, including Laurent Touyeras, Georges Buis, and Paul Répiton-Préneuf, were present on the night of 4-5 May, and took Hitler's personal items and several photographs before the Americans arrived and before leaving on 10 May at the request of U.S. command.[19][20] This is corroborated by numerous testimonies of the Spanish soldiers who went along with them.[21]
Undamaged in the 25 April bombing raid, the Kehlsteinhaus was subsequently used by the Allies as a military command post until 1960, when it was handed back to the State of Bavaria.
Today[edit]
Today the building is owned by a charitable trust, and operates as a restaurant offering indoor dining and an outdoor beer garden. It is a popular tourist attraction due to its historical significance. The road has been closed to private vehicles since 1952 because it is too narrow for two-way travel. The house can be reached on foot (in two hours) from Obersalzberg, or by bus from the Documentation Centre. The Documentation Centre directs visitors to the coach station where tickets are purchased. The bus ticket serves as an entry ticket, as it permits the holder entry to the building's elevator. The buses are specially modified to ascend the steep road leading to the peak. The Kehlsteinhaus interior offers little information about its past. Photos displayed and described along the wall of the sun terrace document the pre-construction location and later history.[22]
Informal tours of the Kehlsteinhaus can be booked through the website. Due to concern about neo-Nazis and post-war Nazi sympathisers, no external guides are permitted to conduct tours.
The lower rooms are not part of the restaurant but can be visited with a guide. They offer views of the building's past through plate-glass windows. Graffiti left by Allied troops is still clearly visible in the surrounding woodwork. The red Italian marble fireplace remains damaged by Allied souvenir hunters, though this was later halted by signage posted that the building was U.S. government property, and damage to it was cause for disciplinary action.[22] Hitler's small study is now a storeroom for the cafeteria.
A trail leads above the Kehlsteinhaus towards the Mannlgrat ridge reaching from the Kehlstein to the summit of the Hoher Göll. The route, which is served by a Klettersteig, is regarded as the easiest to the top.[23]
Fireplace in the Kehlsteinhaus, a present from Mussolini (The three central stones were chipped by Allied souvenir hunters.)[24]
![Fireplace in the Kehlsteinhaus, a present from Mussolini (The three central stones were chipped by Allied souvenir hunters.)[24]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Kehlsteinhaus1.JPG/250px-Kehlsteinhaus1.JPG)
The tunnel leading to the Kehlsteinhaus elevator
The Kehlsteinhaus from below
Panorama view of Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg from the Kehlsteinhaus
The Kehlsteinhaus can just be seen atop the tree-covered mountain to the far right (background).
